Health Care Fight in Iowa

March 1, 2004

Right now, the 1,300 employees of the City of Des Moines pay nothing for health insurance, according to the Des Moines Register. This arrangement may not last long..

The City Council has asked the city manager, city attorney, city clerk and human-rights director to pay 1 to 4.3 percent of their salaries for health insurance. Some union leaders are concerned that when contracts get renegotiated over the coming years, the other 1,300 city employees in Des Moines will also have to pay part of their health care costs.

Unions say that asking their members to pay more for insurance amounts to a pay cut. In contrast, when City Manager Eric Anderson starts paying part of his health-insurance costs, he'll also be getting a salary increase and three weeks of extra vacation time, in addition to the five weeks he currently receives.